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Time to Vote: I'm an Autumn Challenge!

It's Tuesday and that means it's voting day! This week we are talking all things autumn and you will be amazed at all the looks below. Make sure you scroll through each one to see all the details and then make your decision...but it's going to be a hard one to make! They are all so well done! Voting is open until Thursday evening at 8 pm...and it is one vote per IP address or computer.Sew Sophie Lynn-- Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

Fall in Utah is my favorite! The cooler temps and the vibrant leaves just make me one happy girl. I love sewing for cooler weather too. Layers and long sleeves bring so many possibilities. I immediately knew my oldest daughter would want a maxi dress she could wear through the change in seasons. She loves a bit of drama and was head over heels for this look. My little guy is all about comfort and dressing like his big brothers. They live in joggers and tees, and a vest was a great accent piece to coordinate with big sis. These two are ready for the coming season in their stylish new outfits.

For my girl look, I used the maxi option of the Lil Luxe Dress from Lil Luxe Collection. I used the long sleeves and pockets from the Starlight City Dress and cinched the long sleeves with elastic at the wrist to compliment the boho-vibe of the dress. I raised the scoop back a couple of inches to make it a bit more modest. I used a stretch charmeuse from Joann's that has gorgeous drape and colors. To complete the look I did a faux fur vest with a hidden hook and eye closure. I used my favorite tee pattern, the City Park tee from Hey June, as a base and drafted my vest from there. It's lined in a beautiful soft tweed suiting and she's already asked if she can wear it with "everything"! For my boy look, I used Shwin Designs BBC Vest as my main piece. In a soft plaid flannel with leather accents, it's the perfect fall layering piece for him. It's lined in cream soft stretch denim for structure. His pants are modified Moto Maxx pants from Love Notions. I stole his dad's favorite worn khakis to create soft woven joggers. I diamond quilted the knees and lined them in the flannel from the vest to make them extra warm and comfortable. The hooded tee is a slimmed-down Made for Mermaids Rowan Raglan. Fall means lots of evenings and Saturdays at the soccer field so the 'Soccer Legend' was appropriate for our newest soccer star. To see more pics and details on our Autumn look head over to SewSophieLynn.

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Gracious Threads--Autumn Dreams

Thank you so much for having me back again this week! This week I created a look for my 9 year old titled 'Autumn Dreams'. Because she doesn't grow out of clothing near as fast, I like to spend the time sewing those special details and adding more complicated construction techniques that I normally skip for my toddler. She is wearing a button up shirt based on the Sisboom Ethan. I narrowed the shoulders and created shaping in the side seams for a more feminine fit. I moved the pleat to the center back, added a second pocket, and fussy cut the yoke so that the arrows are perfectly aligned. I'm especially proud of the sleeve placket! I used a beautifully soft chambray for the shirt. The layering tee is my own pattern, the Chestnut Tee, with elbow length sleeves. I cut gold heat transfer vinyl with my Silhouette with the words "vive l'automne", french for 'long live autumn' because everything sounds much more sophisticated in Canada's other official language! The bag is self drafted. It is a messenger style with long and short straps. It closes with a turn lock and has matching brass hardware on both handles. There are two pockets; a patch pocket is on the back and a zipper welt pocket is inside.

The pants are sewn from a heavier weight dark red denim. They are self drafted and feature a zipper fly, angled front slant pockets, back welt pockets (picture of these on my blog), and side cargo pocket finished with gold trim. I sewed the self drafted tuque (warm beanie hat for those who don't speak Canadian!) from an old sweater I had. The coat was the most time consuming item. I started with Ottobre 6/2012 # 29 Naavakuusi. The bodice is redrafted to fit my daughter's narrow frame better, and I drafted a one piece yoke that sits over the shoulder seam. Details like the storm flap, toggle buttons, and cross stitched tabs really elevate the classic duffle. It is fully lined with kasha lining (flannel backed satin) and all the hems and facings are understitched by hand with a prick stitch. The outer fabric is a wool with a metallic gold thread running through it.
The photographs were taken by some old wooden graineries on my neighbour's property. For more photographs, and a more detailed explanation of each garment, please hop over to Gracious Threads!

PenSebRox--Autumn Explorer

Since we live pretty much surrounded by the New England wilderness and Seb loves this time of the year for collecting natural objects while exploring, I wanted to put together an outfit inspired by explorers of the Victorian era, lumberjacks, and L.L. Bean. Not wanting to seem to winter-like with heavy layers, instead I used warm fabrics with rich textures to invoke a feeling of the start of colder weather.

The french terry used for the romper and self-drafted hat, has all the texture of a tweeded wool but with comfort of a knit. Both the golden yellow side and the taupe/brown side suited the theme well enough that I used a mixture of both sides throughout. For the romper, I used Shwin Design's Mag & Lil with both the front and back necklines modified to a deep scoop, added contrasting patch pockets, and added a reversible lining. The other side of the romper is a brown heathered french terry with exposed stitching in a variegated thread consisting of shades of brown and dark green. I used rich red thermal and a jersey with a nature inspired bear print for the self-drafted Henley. The print has the oranges of yellows of the theme description and a few other colors that I felt helped the autumn colors pop. Since this is an autumn inspired look after all, I just had to include plaid flannel! The self-drafted messenger bag is the perfect for holding any objects that Seb finds while out exploring. The flannel is backed with a mid-weight interfacing and lined with wool felt to give the bag more of casual loose structure like you find with a canvas rucksack. To add to the natural look, stitching is exposed, the strap is upcycled from a leather belt, and the brass connecting hardware was salvaged. The front flap closes with two buttons that are part of a button collection that has been passed down for generations. As a kid, I always thought they looked like acorns! Thank you for checking out my week two look and as always, most details can be found on my blog.

Wild + Wanderful--Well Dressed Fox

Autumn is, hands down, my favorite season. The smells, the foods, the denim, the colors, the flannel and plaid everything...you name it. I wanted to create Louis an outfit that was useable as separates, fell within the realms of the theme, and incorporated his playful style. I think we did just that. (Ps...I'm so excited to be back for the second week of Project Run + Play! Thanks for keeping me around!) As a full-blown pumpkin addict, I couldn't help but choose orange to be my color. Louis' favorite animal just so happens to be a fox, and since foxes are orange, it was a match for sure!

There were three pieces total that made up Lou's fox attire. First was the P4P Jolly Roger Raglan, on which I hand stitched this cute little fox face. It's such a simple and sweet detail and I can't help but love the button eyes and nose. Next up was the P4P Lumberjack shirt with a few adjustments. I love knit cuff sleeves for jackets, so that was a quick change. I also sliced and diced the hood piece so I could attach some fox ears and a face. Louis has been consistantly wearing his jacket to school during chilly mornings since I made it for him and he beams with pride when compliments come his way. He also loves to "howl" like a fox while wearing it. Suffice to say, kiddo likes his jacket. Ha! The third piece I made was some P4P Cpt Comfort Jeans in a darkwash denim. I added some roll-up cuffs with the same fabric as his jacket so the whole look was cohesive. But there are enough colors within the plaid that he'll be able to wear these and match to a ton of items within his wardrobe. All in all, I am super happy with our "Well Dressed Fox" look and I hope you are too! Please CLICK HERE to see more of this sweet little fox, as well as to get pattern and fabric links to everything used for this look. Week 2, woohoo!

Sew and Tell Project--Autumn at Hogwarts

Hey guys! I'm so excited to share my autumn inspired look with you all! This challenge was exciting for me because it allowed me to work with some of my favorite things--autumn colors, textures, themes, and my tween! The tween demographic is somewhat neglected in the pattern making world; they're just at such an awkward stage. Fit is often off, and styles are too young or too old. I've gotten pretty good at adapting, though, because she's still my baby, and she still loves her mama made things! I decided right off that I needed to use this darling Harry Potter panel from Backstitch Fabrics; the colors are perfect, and there's just something about Hogwarts that always makes me think of fall. I didn't want the outfit to appear costume-y, just young, fun, and stylish. I chose to make a pleated skirt to echo the Hogwart's uniforms, a blazer in place of robes, and a t-shirt to keep it casual. I started with Made for Mermaids' Rowan Raglan pattern, altering it by adding a slight V at the neck, color blocking, and fun striped sleeves. I self drafted this box pleated skirt with a surprise panel of knife pleats in the back and an invisible zipper in the side.

This jacket, though. This, my friends, was a labor of love. This is a Burda Style pattern that I fell in love with. It included no seam allowance, and the instructions were all on one sheet of paper with no photos or illustrations. I've converted wedding gowns to first communion dresses, but this blazer challenged my sewing skills...and my sanity. I chose an embossed velvet for the exterior and lined it with red satin. Velvets are so in this fall, and I love the texture that the burnout brings. The jacket features bound buttonholes on the lapels and sleeves and inseam pockets. If you want to count them, there are 15. FIFTEEN bound buttonholes and buttons; that's a lot of hand sewing! My daughter chose some awesome metal buttons for the front, and I talked her into something a little more sedate for the sleeves. My kiddo loves her fun--and stylish--fall outfit, and I love that I can make her something that perfectly matches her personality. Stop by the Sew and Tell Project to find out more!